OUR VIEW

Learn about native species

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Sep 22, 2012

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week reminded us, in a troubling way, of Hawaii's unique place in the natural world. The agency on Tuesday published a final rule that adds three species of native damselflies and 20 species of native Hawaiian plants on Oahu to the federal list of endangered species.
One might ask: Why save them? After all, much of the lush wild greenery we associate with Hawaiian beauty came from foreign places; on Oahu, flora and fauna unique to Hawaii cling to life on the edges of the urban landscape, some nearly forgotten or unknown. This sorry state of affairs can be attributed to human intervention, and as such, we must do what we can to preserve Hawaii's at-risk species. Their extinction would be not only a blow to biodiversity and its benefits, but an incalculable loss to the islands' cultural and historical heritage.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week reminded us, in a troubling way, of Hawaii's unique place in the natural world. The agency on Tuesday published a final rule that adds three species of native damselflies and 20 species of native Hawaiian plants on Oahu to the federal list of endangered species.

One might ask: Why save them? After all, much of the lush wild greenery we associate with Hawaiian beauty came from foreign places; on Oahu, flora and fauna unique to Hawaii cling to life on the edges of the urban landscape, some nearly forgotten or unknown. This sorry state of affairs can be attributed to human intervention, and as such, we must do what we can to preserve Hawaii's at-risk species. Their extinction would be not only a blow to biodiversity and its benefits, but an incalculable loss to the islands' cultural and historical heritage. Login for more...